NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins:

TORONTO -- Four years ago, Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was preparing for his first NHL training camp. He was a lean, 175-pound, 18-year-old with a baby face and a lot of hype as the No. 1 pick of the 2011 NHL Draft.

This week, Nugent-Hopkins is in Edmonton preparing for his fifth NHL training camp. He has played 258 games in four seasons. He has 65 goals and 188 points. He is 22 years old. He still has his baby face, but after adding 20 pounds of muscle, he's up to 195.

The difference Nugent-Hopkins feels as a result of his experience and strength fuels his confidence and has him believing big things are coming for himself and the Oilers.

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features NBC analyst Pierre McGuire:

Pierre McGuire used to be a coach in the NHL, but now he laughs when he says he just plays one on TV.

McGuire does it for NBC, offering his analysis from between the benches on nationally televised games. His is a unique vantage point for not only watching the game and talking about it, but hearing what goes on during the game.

He has seen all the top teams in the League up close and never hesitates to weigh in with his opinion. That's why he is the subject of the Q&A this week, the final week of the 2014-15 NHL regular season.

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green:

NEW YORK -- Mike Green has always had the skill to help the Washington Capitals win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now he feels he again has the tool to do so as well.

Green's stick has become something of a big deal in Washington because the one he uses on occasion, the discontinued Easton Stealth CNT, is a throwback to his 31-goal, 73-point season in 2008-09, which was by far Green's best season in his 10 years in the NHL.

He has 40 points this season in what is arguably his strongest season since 2008-09. Part of the reason might have something to do with the rare stick, which Easton stopped making in 2007.

"Every time I see that stick and I pick it up, whether it's to sign for a fan or whatnot, I can tell right away why I liked it," Green said Sunday prior to Washington's 5-2 win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. "They discontinued it and ever since then I haven't had that same feel."

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features Olympic silver medalist and NHL All-Star Ryan Kesler:

Ryan Kesler's first season with the Anaheim Ducks has been rejuvenating for the 30-year-old center.

After a decade with the Vancouver Canucks, including 655 regular-season games, two Presidents' Trophy-winning seasons and a trip to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, Kesler feels his game is where it needs to be, his balance off the ice is better than ever, and his belief in the Ducks as Stanley Cup contenders is strong.

Kesler has 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 74 games heading into Anaheim's game Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ducks lead the Pacific Division and are in the race for the Presidents' Trophy with 99 points.

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving:

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Brad Treliving still has hair, which in it of itself is impressive considering the Calgary Flames have been winning games this season. One would have thought by now the stress would be showing on the 45-year-old first year general manager in Calgary.

It's not. He's fine. He's measured and he's realistic about the Flames, but Treliving is also excited and eager to see how the team will finish the regular season and if it will be good enough to secure a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong:

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was on his way home from a long day -- more accurately a long couple of weeks -- when he was reached by phone Monday afternoon.

Armstrong seemed relaxed and satisfied, calm and measured. He also was very willing to put his feet up and let other people dissect what he and his fellow general managers did before the NHL Trade Deadline.

"Now you guys have got to make sense of it all," Armstrong said to NHL.com. "This is the fun time of the year now. My experience shows that when the players have their first practice after the deadline there is more heightened awareness. This is their team. This is what it is. Let's get our game in order now. You're past the dog days and you're into really why we played the game as kids and why we follow the game. You're into the most enjoyable time."

"If we can add a piece, whether it's up front or on the blue line, we'll do that," Fletcher told NHL.com.

The Wild are 13-2-2 in 17 games since Fletcher acquired goalie Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes for a third-round draft pick; they were 18-19-5 through 42 games.

Dubnyk has won each of those 13 games in 16 starts with a 1.64 goals-against average, a .946 save percentage and five shutouts. The Wild have climbed into the second wild-card position in the Western Conference after being eight points out and last in the Central Division after a 7-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 13. Their 6-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday put them inside the top-eight for the first time since Nov. 24.

The Wild's hot stretch has changed Fletcher's mindset. If the deadline was a month ago Minnesota would have been a seller; now it hopes to be a buyer.

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock:

Mike Babcock has a trusted, old-school way of telling if the season is going as planned.

"You wake up every day, you look at the standings, and if you don't have to turn the paper upside down to be happy it's a positive thing," Babcock told NHL.com.

The standings look good right-side up to the Detroit Red Wings nowadays.

Detroit currently sits third in the Atlantic Division with 71 points. The Red Wings are two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and a notch below the Montreal Canadiens because of the head-to-head tiebreaker (Detroit is 0-1-1 against Montreal this season).

There is no team hotter in the NHL than the Red Wings, who are 9-1-0 in their past 10 games, all played without No. 1 goalie Jimmy Howard. Howard has been out with a groin injury, but he's scheduled to return Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.

"I think we're a pretty good team," Babcock said. "Are we a great team? We're going to find out."

Babcock is right; the Red Wings are about to be tested.

Mark Giordano's path to NHL stardom can be seen as either the blueprint for all fledgling professional defensemen or the envy of everyone who is or once was in his shoes.

Giordano, now a Norris Trophy candidate and an all-star, started as an undrafted defenseman out of the Ontario Hockey League and spent a year playing professionally in Russia. He has been a full-time NHL player since the 2008-09 season. He was a first-time all-star this season.

Along the way Giordano has figured things out about himself, his game, and about what makes the great ones in the NHL great. He has learned to play a two-way game without sacrificing what he does best, which is join the rush and provide offense. He has become a leader.

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette:

"It's different," Laviolette told NHL.com.

He stressed that he doesn't mean different in that the hockey being played in the West is so much different than in the East, but what he got to know well simply isn't the same.